Incoherent and Unsatisfying

Rating: 5/10 (6 December 2005)

So is this just another Michael Bay movie with hilarious non-stop-action but a non-abundant plot? Yes and No. During its first half the movie tries to be a more or less serious science-fiction movie. The story is definitely not spectacular but at least there is some science in the story as compared to most other big budget science-fiction movies of the last years like Matrix where the science aspect was abused to justify original action sequences.
As the story unfolds more and more during the first hour one is actually tempted to think that this is not a Michael Bay movie if you don't consider the annoying soundtrack and the stylish look of the movie. But after about half of the movie the Michael Bay we use to know takes over. Maybe this guy suffered from a schizophrenia attack while shooting the film or he had another director direct the first hour, I don't know. All of a sudden any logic and plot development is dropped and replaced by a mindless chase and demolition scenario. The remaining storyline could have been told in 15 minutes. I don't think that there should have been no action in this movie but such an uneven distribution between plot and action just divides this movie into two smaller ones that have a total lack of reference between each other.
In Summary if you want to watch a decent science-fiction movie you should stop watching after half of it. If you want to watch a typical Michael Bay movie you should start watching after half of it is over. This leaves you with two incomplete movies, a circumstance that I don't find very satisfying.